Dinosaur-era “Demon” Shark with Snake Head Captured for First Time [VIDEO]

A rare frilled shark that contains over 300 teeth and a head that oddly resembles a snake’s head was recently captured. There were always rumors and folktales of such a beast roaming in the depths of the sea for hundreds of years, but to actually capture tangible evidence of the beast has biologists excited.

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The shark was spotted off the coast of Portugal recently and was eventually captured by a group of researchers searching for the elusive creature, according to The Sun.

The first thing early analysis indicated about the shark that has researchers really excited is how old the species is. Researchers estimate the shark species is over 80 million years old, a date that would coincide with the dinosaur era.

Fox News reported the creature measured from four to nine inches. The shark has been seen in the US in the past decade. The last visible report of a description that matches the “demon” shark was in 2004 in the southeast of the US.

The BBC wrote previously about the species after speaking to numerous researchers who were searching for the shark. They explained that it is thought that the shark commonly migrates around the Atlantic.

The most common sightings of the shark consist of waters near Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Researchers found the shark 2,300 feet below the sea indicating the shark likes cold temperatures with a lot of pressure.

Professor Margarida Castro of the University of the Algarve, spoke about the substantial amount of teeth the shark has. The professor said the 300 teeth “allows it to trap squid, fish and other sharks in sudden lunges.”

Many are shocked that a creature that lived in the dinosaur-era remained undiscovered for such an extended period of time. Research does indicated, however, that roughly 90 percent of the ocean remains unexplored.

According to Independent, a group of researchers off the coast of Australia discovered a toothy “faceless fish” as well. This will hopefully not be the last time a sea creature once thought to have been lost to time is redsicovered.